Dr. Cromwell Answers: What Are Some Natural Pain Management Treatments?

What can I do to manage pain naturally? 

Pain is exhausting. It drives you to drugs, pushes you to surgery, causes you to miss workand has been known to ruin relationships.

Common attempts to resolve pain such as NSAIDS medicationsand surgery are costly, have risks and may have limited benefits.

 Risksof NSAIDS  :  

• stomach pain
• constipation
• diarrhea
• gas
• heartburn
• nausea
• vomiting
• dizziness
• heart attack
• stroke
• high blood pressure
• heart failure from body swelling (fluid retention)
• kidney problems including kidney failure
• bleeding and ulcers in the stomach and intestine
• low red blood cells (anemia)
• life-threatening skin reactions
• life-threatening allergic reactions
• liver problems including liver failure
• asthma attacks in people who have asthma
• bleeding in intestines, stomach or brain

 Risksof surgery  :  

• 
  wound infection
• deep vein thrombosis
• bleeding
• lung problems
• reaction to anesthesia
• pulmonary embolism
• shock

Sometimes you don’t have the time, energy and resources fornatural therapies such as chiropractic care, massage therapy, acupuncture,exercise or taping.

Sometimes you just want to solve it yourself naturally.

An anti-inflammatory, nutritious diet can really help withcontrolling pain.  There are naturalsupplements that can help as well.

What supplements are good for pain? 

Dr. C’s  PainManagement Protocol   offersnatural supplements that support managing pain. We’ve done the research for you to make it easier to decide whichsupplements can help.  Pain is caused bymany different things and everyone’s body is different so it might take someexperimentation to decide which one works best for you.  Read on to learn about the four supplementsDr. C has chosen.

 SPMActive™  

Pain is tremendously affected by inflammation.  Inflammation has two phases that includeinitiation and resolution.  Our bodies doa pretty good job at resolving inflammation most of the time through specializedpro-resolving mediators.  When our bodiesdon’t have enough specialized pro-resolving mediators to overcome theinflammation, we have chronic health issues that often involve pain.  SPM Active is a supplement containingspecialized pro-resolving mediators that support the body in reducinginflammation and pain.

 This study   explains how specialized pro-resolving mediators are helping the body to reduceinflammation.  This process is differentthan pain medications that simply block the pain receptors rather than helpingthe body deal with the inflammation.

There is a lot of research going on regarding specializedpro-resolving mediators.  They areproving useful in resolving acute and chronic  inflammation/pain   .  Specialized pro-resolving mediators are alsohelping with arthritis as shown in  this   research.

Proteolytic Enzymes 

 Serralase  uses a combination of proteolytic enzymes to provide management of pain.  Science has shown for years that proteolyticenzymes can reduce pain and inflammation.

When inflammation was induced in rats,  proteolytic enzymes   worked better than aspirin.

Another  study   showed that asupplement containing bromelain and trypsin was a safe and effectivealternative for traditional anti-inflammatory drugs for reducingosteoarthritis-related pain.

A  review   ofseveral studies found that the proteolytic enzyme bromelain was effective atreducing symptoms of pain, swelling and joint stiffness in people withosteoarthritis.

There are many other studies showing that proteolyticenzymes help with a myriad of conditions involving pain and inflammation suchas in sciatica pain, sports injuries, wound healing, post workout pain andmore.

The most important thing to remember about proteolyticenzymes is that they need to be taken on an empty stomach to be effective.

 CuraphenExtra Strength™  

 Curaphen™ ExtraStrength   is a supplementcontaining a synergistic combination of anti-inflammatory ingredients tosupport pain reduction.  “It is a  professional pain formula   developed using  clinicallystudied BCM-95® Curcumin and BosPure® Boswellia  , along with DLPA andnattokinase.*† Each contributes properties that increase their effectivenesswhen combined.”

There aremany studies on the benefits of curcumin for reducing pain andinflammation.  Curcumin is a primarycompound in turmeric known for its pain-relieving properties.  In a review of  research   ,it was found to be as effective as pain medication in several of the studies.

Boswellia isan ayurvedic herb that has been around for many years.  You might also have heard it calledFrankincense.  This study   showed the analgesic properties of Boswellia when they induced pain in humanbeings.

 MSM  

Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM), is anaturally occurring organic compound found in some green vegetables, otherfoods, and can be made from phytoplankton in the oceans.  MSM is considered a Sulphur donor.  Sulphur is very plentiful in the body andneeded for many different critical body functions.  There are many studies that show MSM’sability to help with pain and inflammation.

 This review   explainshow it is readily absorbed for use and helps to reduce inflammation and act asan antioxidant.  They looked at itsability to help with reduction of muscle soreness, oxidative stress, improverange of motion and physical function with regard to different causes of painand help with arthritis pain.

 This study   found MSM to behelpful for arthritis pain and concluded, “MSM (3g twice a day) improvedsymptoms of pain and physical function during the short intervention withoutmajor adverse events”.

How will you manage yourpain naturally? 

Always seek your doctor’s advice to rule out anythingserious.  Then, figure out what willsupport your unique body the best.

Taking good care of yourself through regular chiropracticvisits, healthy eating, regular exercise and stress management are always agood start.  For natural supplements tosupport your pain, go to Dr. C’s  Pain Management Protocol  and choosewhat’s best for you.

If you live in the Detroit Metro area, make Dr. C yourchiropractor.  Visit  NerveDr.com  for more information or call (248) 477-1492 for a free chiropracticconsultation.